76ers at Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers once again struggled without All-Star center Joel Embiid, who is expected back in the lineup in finale of a four-game road trip at the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Embiid sat out the second half of a back-to-back Monday in Milwaukee and watched his teammates make 2-of-26 3-pointers in a 12-point loss.
"Without Joel, we knew that if we were going to win, we needed a successful 3-point night," coach Brett Brown said. "We had to find points from somewhere." Dario Saric missed all eight of his 3-point tries but he was 7-for-10 inside the arc en route to a team-high 19 points as Philadelphia fell to 2-8 without Embiid. The Nets have lost four straight and each of the last three of those setbacks have come by at least 15 points. DeMarre Carroll led Brooklyn with just 13 points in Tuesday's 111-95 loss at Madison Square Garden as the Nets fell to 8-18 on the road.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (24-23): The return of JJ Redick would go a long way toward fixing the 3-point shooting woes, and the veteran sharpshooter - out since Jan. 15 with a leg injury - is nearing a return. The same can be said for point guard Jerryd Bayless, who has missed six straight games with a wrist injury. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has been filling in at guard and is 4-for-18 from the floor over the past two games.
ABOUT THE NETS (18-33): Wednesday will offer up an opportunity for center Jahlil Okafor to face the Sixers - who drafted him No. 3 overall in 2015 before shipping him to Brooklyn earlier this season to end a rocky tenure - for the first time and the 22-year-old is finally feeling at home in Brooklyn. "They welcomed me with open arms, and that's all you can ask as a basketball player," he told reporters Wednesday. "They're taking the time to develop me. They're showing me a lot of love and care." A groin strain for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has shuffled the rotation and given Okafor an increase in playing time, and the Duke product is averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes over the last two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Philadelphia won three of four meetings last season, but Brooklyn's lone victory was a 141-118 rout in the season series finale.
2. Brooklyn C Jarrett Allen made all six of his shot attempts Tuesday and is 10-for-10 over his last two outings.
3. Nets G Caris LeVert (groin) has missed two straight games.